The producers of a Turkish comedy series titled ?Leyla ile Mecnun? (Leyla and Mecnun) have said Turkey?s state-run TV channel TRT will cease broadcasting the show after the production?s actors joined the Gezi Park protests.

The revelation that modern Turkey continues secretly to classify its citizens according to religious criteria reflects the weight of the Ottoman past. It also has implications for those in the middle east seeking a state based on equality before law, says Vicken Cheterian.